Singapore Airlines and Airbus to establish flight training centre in Singapore

MOU signed for so-called AATC facility.

Singapore Airlines and Airbus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a flight training joint venture in Singapore, according to a joint release from the both companies.

The facility will be called Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC) and will be 55%-owned by Airbus and 45%-owned by Singapore Airlines. The two parties will initially contribute approximately SGD80 million towards AATC, in proportion to their respective shareholdings. Subject to regulatory approvals, operations are expected to begin before the end of 2014.

The Singapore centre will initially operate from the SIA Training Centre near Changi Airport before moving to Seletar Aerospace Park when a dedicated facility is completed. It will provide type rating and recurrent training on full-flight simulators for Airbus A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380 aircraft types.

“Demand for air travel is forecast to continue growing steadily in the Asia-Pacific region and the joint venture will help the industry keep pace with training requirements,” said Singapore Airlines CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong.

“The partnership makes good business sense for Singapore Airlines, while also enhancing Singapore’s position as a leading aviation hub. The experience of Singapore Airlines’ instructor pilots combined with Airbus’ own expertise will ensure that AATC is a centre of excellence, providing a significant boost to the region’s pilot training capabilities.”

Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier said: “We are pleased to partner with SIA on this important new joint venture. This state-of-the-art facility will offer full pilot training services to Airbus operators from across the region and is a major step in the further expansion of our global flight training services. The investment underscores Airbus’ strategy to offer innovative solutions to our customers for the entire Airbus fleet.”

AATC will be the newest in a network of Airbus training centres around the world, others being at Beijing, Miami and Toulouse.